How is Beth alive? ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ Season 3 alternate universe explained
'The Walking Dead: Dead City' went somewhere none of the shows in the TWD universe have ever gone. For those unaware, the flagship series kicks off in the midst of a full-scale zombie apocalypse. Neither the show nor any of its spin-offs has ever really shown how some fan favorites would have turned out without the apocalypse, until now. For the first time, 'TWD: DC' revealed what could have transpired without the unfortunate event. 'Genesis' focused specifically on the spin-off's characters and revealed that at least one of Maggie's loved ones would have survived. The survivor is none other than Beth (Emily Kinney), who in the show's timeline died during the Season 5 episode titled 'Coda.'
Beth first appears in the episode in the present timeline when Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) looks at the door, believing his enemies will enter to arrest him, but instead Maggie's stepsister appears. The episode then switches to the alternate universe where it is revealed that in a world where Beth did not have to contend with zombies, she made her way to New York. Unfortunately, her mother, Sean, and Hershel (father) faced the same fates and were dead in the alternate universe as well. Maggie meets with Beth to save their farm. Essentially, the farm is losing money, and the only way to save it is by turning it into a co-op. This pursuit requires a loan, and the officer in charge tells Maggie that the only way she will be granted the funds is if she collaborates with someone who knows farming. Maggie asks Beth to join hands with her, but it is evident that she is not interested.
Beth is living a fulfilling life in New York, pursuing singing. Farming is not currently her plan for the future. Maggie (Lauren Cohan), who catches up with Negan in the alternate universe, attends one of Beth's shows, indicating there are no hard feelings between them. Another interesting tidbit is that she lives in the same building as Luis (Raul Castillo) in this world. Even though fans hoped that in this world Maggie would have a happy ending with Glenn, that was not the case. It is revealed that she was married to Danny, but they are going through a rough patch. There were also romantic sparks between her and Negan, who is a convict in this world. He had spent two years in jail for assaulting a man named Alan, but unlike the present timeline, this wasn't senseless violence with an evil motive. Negan attacked Alan because the latter pushed an 18-year-old girl to end her life.
Despite his time behind bars, Negan is not done with Alan. In fact, he plans to finish him off, but before doing that, he spends some time with Maggie. The widowed consultant shows Maggie around New York, which in turn convinces her to start a new life in the city rather than return to her farm. Both of them make their way to a bar to watch Beth sing, which will eventually become Dillard’s bar. Negan sees Alan there and points a gun at his head. Maggie reasons with him and gets him to put it down. After the incident, both of them try to move on in their lives, with Maggie reconnecting with her sister in the new place, and Negan trying to establish a relationship with his son. Unfortunately, their troubles do not leave them. Maggie is informed that the only way the loan moves forward is with her involved, and Negan sees Alan on the streets again and, this time, presumably kills him.
The episode then returns to the present timeline where Hershel (Maggie's son) informs Maggie that not only has Negan killed Fabian, but he has also injured Dillard (Jimmi Simpson). To find out what happens next, tune in to AMC next Sunday for a fresh episode.
